Appreciation for the Little Things
by anubislover
Summary: A chance encounter with Bishop makes Aidan start appreciating the little things more, from the way Sally gets all flustered when he flirts with her to how no one, especially Bishop, can touch his pretty housemate. Sally/Aidan, intentionally creepy Bishop/Sally, and some Josh/Aidan friendship.


Hello! So this is my first crack at a Being Human story, as I've only recently gotten into the fandom, so hopefully I've managed to keep everyone in character. I totally love the idea of Sally and Aidan, though there are a disappointingly small amount of stories for them. But, IMO, if you feel a story pool is too small, you need to add to it yourself and hope others follow your example. To be fair, though, this mainly came from how way Bishop looked at Sally in the finale, and well, I wondered what he thought of a ghost living with Aidan. Then I thought about how Aidan's always so awesomely sweet and protective to her and well, this happened. Hope you enjoy!

T rating for suggestive content and a major swear word, but just one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Being Human, much to my chagrin. Otherwise Bishop would have been around more and Sally and Aidan would have gotten together somehow. Oh well, I can still hope for Season 3…

Appreciation for the Little Things

It was almost dawn as Aidan and Josh walked home from the hospital, evening shifts finally over and done with. Hospital life was hectic, to say the least, and that night had been the very definition of chaos. There had been two car crashes, a drunken brawl, a pretty serious poisoning, plus the usual sick people and menial duties to fulfill. Aidan could hardly wait to get back to the house and get out of his scrubs and just collapse on the couch in front of the TV with a cup of blood.

"Man," Josh said tiredly, rubbing his eyes, "I know you don't drink, but you want to get some coffee or something? I've got some stuff to do today and I know if I lie down I'm not getting up again until it's time to go to work again."

Aidan actually yawned. "Sounds good." The caffeine didn't really do much for the vampire, but the liquid heat always felt good in his belly, especially after a long night resisting the smell of fresh blood in the ER.

The werewolf patted his pocket. "Damn. We'll have to stop by the house, though. I think I left my wallet at home."

"No big deal. We can invite Sally while we're there. It might be nice for her to go someplace normal and hang out."

Josh chuckled and gave him a sideways glance. "Asking a girl out to coffee? You softy."

"Shut up," he replied without any real malice. He supposed he was becoming a softy, at least when it came to their personal Casper. When it became clear that it would take some time for her to find closure with her death, he'd taken it upon himself to make her un-life more bearable. Being dead himself, he knew the pain of having one's life ripped away, but arguably she had it worse. They were both stuck on Earth, forced to watch their loved ones grow old and die while they stayed the same, but at least vampires could interact with the living. Sure, the bloodlust was a downside, but at least he could actually touch things and be seen by everyone. So he'd started trying to fill in some of the gaps in her life. They'd walk in the park, watch movies, make small talk over coffee; the usual human stuff. It had become a nice little routine, and she was always so ridiculously pleased, that bright-toothed smile wide and beautiful whenever he so much as asked what movie she wanted to watch.

Despite his exhaustion he found himself grinning a bit. It was rather nice pretending to be normal with her; they could have actual conversations without him having to tune out the sound of a beating heart or the smell of hot, sweet blood pumping just beneath the skin. The fact that she was incredibly hot, even in her PJs and snuggly cardigan, was just a pleasant bonus. It was nice to be able to get to know someone instead of just seeing them as food. It was a benefit of both her and Josh; they were his friends, not his next meal. Around them he could keep clean and pretend to be human, knowing that they'd be there for him whenever he needed help. With them around, he had a reason to keep clean.

Unfortunately, just as they were a block from the house they froze as they found themselves face-to-face with an unexpected figure.

"Hello, Aidan," Bishop said, smiling politely. He was dressed in plain brown slacks and a dark blue sweater-vest over a white shirt, looking like any average, middle-class American. If you didn't know him, you never would have even guessed he was a cop, much less a centuries-old killer in charge of Boston's vampire coven. "Taking your dog for a walk? You're lucky I'm off duty, otherwise I'd have to write you up for not having him on a leash."

Aidan tensed but kept his cool. "What are you doing here?"

Bishop smirked at the pair. "Oh, just enjoying a nice stroll through the neighborhood. You know, not enough people take the time to appreciate the little things anymore."

Josh grimaced at just how _nice_ he sounded. Nice and normal, everything they weren't times twelve. "Um, okay, but I'm pretty sure what Aidan's asking is "Why are you _here_, in our neighborhood?'"

The vampire leader regarded him distastefully. "Now who told you to speak?" He turned to Aidan. "You might want to consider putting a muzzle on him."

Aidan bristled at his sire's disgusted tone. Powerful vampire or no, no one talked to his friend like that. Sure, he smelled like dog, but that didn't mean Bishop could treat him like some dumb animal just because of some thousand or so year superiority complex the vampires had against werewolves. Josh was his friend. Only he was allowed to make dog jokes.

Just as Josh was about to stutter out some retort, Sally popped up next to him.

"Hey guys!"

"Gah!" Josh yelled, jumping a full foot back and dropping his bag. "Don't do that!"

Sally rolled her eyes, ignoring the stares from the vampires. "Sorry, but you guys were late and I got worried. Oh, and you left your wallet in the kitchen. Figured you'd want that." Regaining his composure, Josh held out his hand with an expectant look. Sally raised an eyebrow. "Um, kind of can't hold things, remember? You'll have to get it yourself."

Pink faintly dusted the werewolf's cheeks. "Oh. Right. Um…" He glanced at the younger vampire. "You coming?

"Aidan and I have a few things to discuss, so why don't you run along. I'm sure he can find his way home without his guide dog," Bishop sneered, not taking his eyes off Sally. So this was Aidan's other companion. He'd heard that his prodigal son had been hanging out with a ghost, but he hadn't expected to get to meet her. What a treat this morning had become.

Josh ignored the comment, but at Aidan's nod he picked up his bag and hurried off.

Sally looked between the two vampires hesitantly. "Do you want me to—"

Bishop stepped forward with a grin. "Oh, you should definitely stay. After all, I don't think we've have the pleasure of meeting. Aidan, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Not liking Bishop's disturbingly pleasant tone any more than his disgusted one, Aidan moved closer to the ghost's side. "Sally, leave."

Sally blinked in surprise. "Wait, he can see me?" She knew her friends were nervous around this guy, but she would have never guessed he was something supernatural. The guy was wearing a sweater-vest, for crying out loud!

The older vampire gave her a charming smile, giving her a slow, deliberate once-over. "That I can, though I could certainly stand to see a little more of you."

Now Aidan was positive he wanted Bishop as far away from his friends as possible. He glared at his sire. "I think you should get back to your walk." He suddenly wished Sally was corporeal so he could just grab her and run into the house.

Bishop gave a great show of looking hurt, though he could see the amusement in his eyes. "Now Aidan, what's your hurry? It's not like I can hurt her."

"Doesn't matter. I don't want you anywhere me or my friends," he growled, resisting the urge to tear the head vampire's eyes out.

"That's not for you to decide." He smiled and turned back to Sally. "I apologize for my protégé's rudeness. I did my best to instill some sense of decorum into him, but I suppose some things are doomed to fail from the start." Deciding he couldn't exactly shake her hand he gave a small bow. "You must be Sally. Lt. James Bishop of the Boston Police, at your service."

Sally's eyes widened. Aidan had told her about him. No wonder he could see her! "Bishop? You're the guy who—"

He smiled. "Turned Aidan? I did indeed."

She felt rage bubble up inside her, a feeling she thought she could only feel when around Danny. "You sick, twisted…"

Even though he knew she couldn't do anything, Aidan instinctively stepped between them. "Sally, don't."

The woman glared at him. "He killed you! This jackass killed you and turned you into a vampire and you're not even mad at him?"

He held up his hands placatingly. "It was a long time ago, and it's not your concern. Calm down."

His nonchalant attitude only made her madder. Why was it that Aidan was allowed to get pissed that Danny killed her, but she couldn't get mad about the exact same situation? No, wait; it wasn't the same, because this guy was even worse than Danny! "You're going to tell me to calm down when your killer is standing right next to you?"

"Yes, now calm down!" he snapped, eyes momentarily going black. Shocked, Sally took a step back. She'd never seen Aidan vamp out when he wasn't drinking. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he willed his eyes to turn normal again before facing Bishop. "I don't know what you're doing here, Bishop, but unless it's official police business I want you out of my neighborhood."

Bishop's smile held no warmth. "Careful, Aidan. I admire your loyalty, but we wouldn't want to cause a scene, now would we?" In a flash he was behind Sally, vampire speed making her jump and turn, finding him impossibly close. "As for you, sweetheart, you should be thanking me. If it weren't for me you two would have never met. He'd have been nothing but bones and dust long before you were even born if I hadn't turned him." Confidently, he stepped even closer, ignoring Aidan's low growl of warning as he invaded what was left of her personal space. "Pity I never met you before you died, though. I think I would have enjoyed you immensely." His smile was downright sinful. "Why, a cute thing like you looks good enough to eat."

Understanding the multiple meanings behind that statement and not liking any of them, Sally vanished and appeared back behind Aidan.

Despite knowing that Bishop couldn't touch her, Aidan was less than pleased with their pervious proximity and stood in front of her like a shield. "Stay the hell away from her, Bishop."

Giving the ghost another drawn out perusal, he shifted his attention back to the younger vampire. "You know, there might be hope for you yet. I was worried when you started hanging out with a werewolf, but a cute little ghost like this? Good to know you've still got standards after all." He smiled at Sally. "Keep him out of trouble, will you? It breaks my heart to see him turn away from his family, but I'm sure you make a lovely consolation prize."

She bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Realizing where this was likely going, Aidan looked at her over his shoulder. "Sally, go home." Bishop was terrifyingly good with mind games, and if he couldn't touch her physically, he certainly wasn't above hurting her emotionally.

Thankfully, she seemed to hear the warning in his voice. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Bishop gave his best faux-disappointed pout. "Aw, leaving on my account?" His pout twisted into a grin. "I guess we'll have to get to know each other some other time." He slowly licked his lips, giving her one last long, lingering look. "_Intimately._"

With only a worried glance at Aidan, the ghost vanished, leaving the two vampires alone.

Growling, Aidan turned to his sire. "I'm going to give you on last warning: leave. Stay away from my home, my friends, and my life." Eyes once more melting into black, he leaned in and whispered, "And if you so much as think about Sally again, I'll stake you where you stand. Are we clear?" He felt his fangs lengthening, the itching sensation reminding him that he needed to calm down, lest someone see him. Forcing himself to relax, he felt his teeth recede and his eyes turn normal again.

Bishop's grin turned knowing. "You have terrible taste in friends, Aidan, but it's good to see you still have impeccable taste in women. Pity about the ghost thing, though. Or is that why you like her? No heartbeat, no blood, no scent of fresh meat wafting about the house, tempting you to throw caution to the wind and just _tear into her?_" He took a few steps forward, voice dropping to a whisper, "Still, I'll bet even without the blood you have to fight the urge to just sink into her. That curvy body soft and pliant beneath you, eyes glazed, little whimpers escaping those plush lips as you—"

"Shut up!" He barely managed to restrain himself from breaking the head of the Boston clan's jaw. He wasn't sure if his sire was talking about feeding or sex, but he sure as hell knew that he didn't like Bishop talking about _his_ Sally like that.

Bishop kept smiling, eyes dancing with mirth. "The temptation is maddening, isn't it? It kills you that, while she'd probably the only woman you wouldn't have to worry about killing, you can't even touch her. I'll bet you wish you'd gotten to her before whoever killed her, huh? But, I can't say I blame you. Pity, though. She'd have made a beautiful addition to our family." Shaking his head in disappointment he patted his shoulder consolingly. "Ah, well. It's been good seeing you, Aidan." Turning to go, he called pleasantly over his shoulder, "We should have these talks more often. You know I love meeting your friends."

Aidan stood on the street for a long while, watching his retreating sire casually stroll away until he wasn't even a dot on the horizon. Once he was sure he wouldn't be attacked the moment he turned his back, he turned on his heel and used his vampire speed to run to the house. Throwing the door open, he was met with the worried face of Josh.

"Aidan! I was just about to come after you. You were out there for a while, man, is everything okay? I got worried when Sally came back and you didn't."

"Josh," he said, attempting to calm his frayed nerves. "Can we take a rain check on that coffee?"

The werewolf nodded with a nervous chuckle. "I was just about to suggest the same thing." With a rueful smile the pair retreated to the living room and collapsed on the couch. Rubbing his temples he asked, "What is with you vampires and ruining people's days? Seriously, if I hear one more dog joke…"

Aidan lightly elbowed him in the side. "Shut up. At least he didn't make any comments about peeing on fire hydrants."

Before Josh could reply Sally poofed in again, though to his credit Josh only jumped a little bit this time. She stared at Aidan, eyes wide with worry. "Oh my God, are you okay? He didn't hurt you or anything, right?"

He couldn't help his small smile at her concern. "I'm fine, Sally. We only exchanged words, despite the temptation to do otherwise." The word _temptation_ made him grimace, trying to block the memory of his sire's words, particularly his descriptions of Sally. He hated to admit it, but Bishop was right. He'd noticed a long time ago just how beautiful she was, and were she corporeal he wasn't sure he'd be able to help himself. But she'd been hurt enough in the past, and he didn't even want to entertain the notion of killing her. That would put him in the same boat as Danny, and that very idea disgusted him. He wanted her, but thankfully his desire to protect her outweighed his need to possess her. It also helped, as well as drove him mad, that he couldn't touch her. It meant that he didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting her, but by the same token it meant he couldn't give her the comfort she so desperately needed at times. Like right at that moment, for example. She looked like she wanted to hug him, to confirm he was real and okay, but was holding herself back to avoid disappointment. "I promise I'm not hurt," he said soothingly. Sometimes, words would just have to do in place of actions.

She sighed, despite the fact that she didn't even technically breath. "Thank God. If he wasn't a cop I swear I'd be telling you to break that asshole's jaw!"

"Oh, believe me, I wanted to, especially after the way he looked at you," he growled.

Josh looked at him with concern. "Looked at her? What do you mean "how he looked at her?'"

"Bishop's stare was a little too intimate for my taste," he replied. At Josh's blank look he clarified, "He was fucking her with his eyes."

"Aidan!" Sally screeched in embarrassment. If she had blood, the vampire was positive she'd be beet red.

Josh jumped. "What? I'll kill him!" Both his roommates stared at him. "Um, well, I mean, not _kill_ kill, of course, since he's technically already dead, but, you know, kill as in…" he trailed off, uncomfortable with their stares. "What?"

"Hippocratic oath, Josh. You're not supposed to kill anyone," Aidan said dryly.

"Um, says the guy who eats people to survive? No offense, but you've broken that oath so many times I think Hippocrates is actually spinning in his grave."

"Uh, guys?" Sally interjected. "Not that I don't appreciate having two super-dangerous monsters willing to run out and defend my honor, but creepy as the whole thing was, it's not that big a deal. Incorporeal, remember? He can look, but there is no way he can touch."

"That doesn't mean he's allowed to look," Aidan said firmly. "Listen, I know he can't do a thing to you physically, but I've known him for centuries. I've seen him kill families, slaughter villages, defile women, and destroy communities. He's a master of mind games, and it would be nothing more than an amusing challenge for him to try to break someone without laying a finger on them. Especially if he knows it'll hurt me."

She frowned. She got what he was saying, but she still didn't see why he was so worried. Bishop couldn't touch her, couldn't get into their house, and she had Aidan and Josh to protect her even if that did somehow fail. Not that she needed them to protect her. "Still doesn't mean that you and Josh can act all macho. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

"Sure it does!" Josh said brightly. "This is actually one of the very few times I _can_ act macho and no one will question it. It's like when a guy hits on your sister; no matter who or _what_ you are, you're totally justified in punching the guy's lights out."

His statement was a bit of a surprise, but she felt oddly happy with it. "Aww, so you see me as your sister?" she teased.

Josh didn't even hesitate. "Sally, you're definitely my favorite, slightly crazy, incorporeal, non-lesbian sister. Not to be confused with my favorite, slightly crazy, totally solid, lesbian sister."

If her heart could beat it would be fluttering in pleasure right now. Deep down, she'd actually always wanted a brother. She looked at Aidan. "What about you, Dracula? Getting the warm big-brother fuzzies for me?"

The vampire regarded her carefully for a moment. "Not really." He chuckled a bit when her smile fell. "Mainly because I think you're kind of hot, so big-brother feelings would be kind of awkward."

Now Sally was very happy her heart couldn't beat, because if it did, it would definitely be trying to pound its way out of her ribcage, and having your heart burst out of your chest in front of a guy who just admitted he found you hot (and who was far from bad-looking himself) would be just plain embarrassing, plus Josh would throw a fit over the mess.

Realizing that his two housemates might need a moment, Josh got up. "Well, now that there's no more looming threat of vampire cops lurking outside our house, I'm gonna make my coffee. You want me to heat up some blood?"

Aidan nodded, secretly grateful that Josh seemed to be able to pick up on the subtle tension between him and Sally. The werewolf may not have been the most socially adept guy he'd ever met, but after two or so years of hanging out with him he'd at least managed to figure out when he needed to give the vampire some space.

With Josh in the kitchen, there was an awkward silence between the two undead housemates. Unfortunately, since Sally was still doing a bit of a goldfish impression, it was up to Aidan to break the tension. "So, is my not being blind and noticing that you are, in fact, an attractive woman going to be a problem?"

"Wha…? Oh! No, no, not an issue," she stuttered. "Just…kind of surprised, is all."

He grinned. She was just so damn adorable he could eat her up. Thankfully, he couldn't. And neither could Bishop. "Good, because I don't think I'd be able to stop looking at you without gouging out my eyeballs, and I'm pretty sure that would bring up some difficult questions at the hospital."

Sally giggled. "Probably."

Though happy that some of the awkwardness was gone, he knew he had to get through to her. He fixed her with his most intense, serious stare. "I'm serious about Bishop, though. He's already made it clear that he'd have no issue hurting Josh. I know you think you're safe because he can't touch you, but he's resourceful and twisted in ways you can't imagine. Whenever he takes interest in someone, especially a woman, it ends badly, and I don't want anything to happen to you." He shuddered a bit, recalling some of the things he'd witnessed his sire do. "I've done things I'm not proud of, but he makes me look like a priest. And the way he was looking at you, talking about you…I know exactly what was going through his head." He declined to mention that it was partially because similar thoughts had gone through his own from time to time. "He's dangerous, sadistic, and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Especially if that something belongs to me." Sally's eyes widened at that last part, but he didn't seem to notice. "So please, just keep away from him, okay?"

Deciding to ignore the technically sexist (though surprisingly hot), comment about belonging to him, she considered his words. Aidan knew ghosts even better than she did. He knew what they could do, how they acted, and probably what could hurt them, which wasn't much. But he was still worried about Bishop getting to her.

Biting her lip, she resisted the urge to touch him. She wanted to smooth out the little worried wrinkles in the middle of his forehead, to ease the tension in his hunched shoulders. He looked so scared and serious, and for once she saw beyond the dark confidence and cool sarcasm that made him appear so young and instead see the very old, world-weary creature that he really was.

Finally, she said, "If I'm ever out and see him coming, I'll poof right back home, okay?" If Bishop scared him, despite her incorporeal status, she figured she should at least hold a healthy sense of caution.

His shoulders dropped in relief and he smiled again. "Thank you. I think he's been developing a taste for girls I think are hot, and I don't want you added to the menu," he only half-joked.

"You vampires, always thinking with your stomachs," she teased.

"Hey, it's the best way to a man's heart, right? Why should it be any different for us?"

The ghost grinned, happy to see her lady-killer friend back to normal. "Fair enough. I'll remember that if I ever need to stake a vampire; forget the heart, the stomach's their real weakness."

"Definitely," he chuckled, standing up. "So we're cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool. Just remember, my eyes are up here, okay?" she teased, pointing at her face. It was nice to be seen as attractive by such a hot guy. She'd been with Danny for so long she had forgotten how much fun flirting could be, especially when the guy you're flirting with is a super-hot vampire.

He smirked, deliberately dropping his gaze lower. "No promises."

She tried to scowl, but ended up laughing instead. "You are so lucky I can't smack you for that."

"Not sure I'd mind, so long as you kiss it and make it better."

"You know I can still hear you both, right?" Josh called from the kitchen. "Remember what I said about dudes that hit on my sister?"

Aidan rolled his eyes. "He's actually taking the whole big brother thing seriously, isn't he?"

His ghostly roommate giggled. "Of course he is. It's the alpha-male of the pack mentality."

"Next thing you know he'll be marking his territory."

"Hey!" the werewolf shouted.

Shaking his head and laughing, Aidan started to walk towards the kitchen to get his blood. But just as he was about to pass Sally, he stopped to growl in her ear, "I meant what I said earlier, though. You're mine, and Bishop can't have you."

She turned to look at him, only to find his already dark eyes completely black. His lips were slightly parted, and she could see the tips of his pearly fangs. It was terrifying, seeing his vampire side out for the world to see, but strangely exhilarating knowing that it was because of her. She sucked in an unnecessary breath as he slowly ran his tongue over his lips. How did he manage to make something so simple look so sexy? Must be a vampire thing, she decided.

Eyes clearing, he smirked at her and winked before walking away and grabbing the mug Josh offered. As he took a sip, enjoying the revitalizing effects of the warm blood, he decided Bishop was right about something else; people just didn't take the time to appreciate the little things anymore. Like a hot cup of blood, no matter how foul it tasted. Or a friend who knew when to let him sort things out on his own. Or hanging out with people who craved normalcy as much as he did. Or a pretty roommate who got so delightfully flustered whenever he flirted with her.

Aidan smirked, licking away a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. Oh yeah, he was definitely going to spend a lot more time appreciating that last one.

End

Hope you all liked! I noticed that while Bishop definitely doesn't like Aidan living with a werewolf, he never really made any mention of Aidan living with a ghost. So I wondered if he even knew she existed before the finale, since I haven't seen any indication that he knew she even existed (keep in mind I've missed a few episodes of Season 1, so I might have just missed it, and if I did, please tell me the episode). I definitely noticed how he looked at her in that episode, though, and how Aidan actually killed him while he was looking at Sally, kind of like "See her? She's mine! You don't touch!" kind of thing. But yeah, I love Sally/Aidan, and with Season 3 on its way and hopefully them getting together, I thought I'd take a crack at their relationship. Plus I saw "You're the One that I Haunt" and Josh says to Aidan "When exactly do you think we should have a, uh, conversation with her about her taste in men? There's gotta be some nice dead dudes out there" and I was practically screaming at the TV "There's one sitting right next to you! Set them up!" Yeah, it's a weakness, but if you didn't like it you probably wouldn't be reading this right now, since it's way at the bottom at the very end of the story. But I digress.

If you liked, please review, especially if you favorite or follow. Thanks for reading!


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